South County principal calls for salary cuts to save teachers

Montgomery High School Principal Lee Romero sees the $24 million deficit the Sweetwater Union High School District is trying to close in its $320 million budget through layoffs and wonders if there isn’t a better solution.

Such as salary cuts.

Romero said he and his wife, who is a teacher, along with others would be willing to take a pay cut if it meant saving the four instructors slated to be laid off at his school if class sizes grow from 31 to 34 students, as proposed by the district.

“At what point do we do the right thing and take the cuts away from the classroom, because it is going to hurt our kids? Nobody including the district, including the unions, are talking about taking a pay cut,” Romero said. “If we go this route (by increasing class sizes), it is going to be bad for everybody.”

Alex Anguiano, president of the teachers union, said it was premature to discuss the possibility of salary cuts because negotiations on a new contract have not formally begun. But did express dissatisfaction with other areas of the district’s budget.

“Our district is spending money like there is not an economic crisis at all, so if we evaluate economy based on what school board has been approving, then there is not an economic crisis,” he said. “There are already less teachers. Classrooms are pretty overcrowded. That was our contribution to this fiscal crisis. We have already paid significantly.”

Among the teachers Romero expects to lose under seniority rules that come into effect during layoffs is special education teacher Juan Carrillo and county Teacher of the Year nominee Rhea Walker. They have been teaching for four years and 11 years, respectively.

According to Romero, those who could lose their jobs have contributed to his campus seeing an 85-point increase on the state’s performance index.

“To have more students in a classroom means more special ed students in a classroom, and it almost seems impossible,” Carrillo said.

Romero said no one should be laid off.

“In my 24 years of education, I have never seen a teacher released due to their ineffectiveness,” Romero said. “To lose some of the people who work the most or are effective, that’s just not right.”

Walker can see both sides of the tenure system.

“Time and again you have proven your worth, but the bottom line is still the dollars,” Walker said. “You are thankful and grateful to have something there to guarantee you have a job, but at the same time it’s a double-edged sword.”

Romero said pay cuts need to be addressed.

“There’s 10 percent unemployment in California and people are taking cuts, but we have not,” he said.

About 110 pink slips were issued last year; all but six Spanish teachers were called back to work. Administrators are taking four furloughs this year.

Anguiano said the union will defer to the will of its members in matters such as class size and salary reductions. The bargaining team for the union will be seeking member input through a series of open hearings and a survey, he said.

The district cut $11 million from this year’s budget to help close a more than $23 million deficit. The shortfall was covered with stimulus funds and previously restricted money that the state freed up for use in other areas.